The
Nigerian Copyright Commission on Wednesday arrested eight persons for
allegedly selling pirated works in Benin, the Edo State capital.
The commission also confiscated eight bags of audiovisual materials recovered from the suspects.
The
suspects, including a female, were arrested during the agency’s routine
raid of hotspots on Sapele Road, Ramat Park and Siluko Road.
The Zonal
Head of Operations, Mr. Joseph Ajang, told journalists that the exercise
was part of measures to check the spread of piracy in Edo and Delta
States, which the zone covers.
Ajang, who
lamented that the commission had received several petitions from
intellectual property owners, also noted that the operation was in
continuation of the nationwide anti-piracy raid by the NCC.
But one of
the suspects, who identified himself as Jonathan Okeke and was arrested
on Siluko road, claimed to have no knowledge that his wares were
pirated.
The
25-year-old suspected, who hails from Ebonyi State, said, “I buy in
Benin and Lagos. Unfortunately, the NCC came to my shop and said that I
sell pirated audiovisual materials.
“I have
been in the business for two to three years now. But I do not know that
they (audiovisual materials) are pirated materials. It is my first time
to hear about piracy.”
However,
Ajang said the commission would take inventory of the confiscated goods
and prosecute the suspects at the end of its investigation.
He said,
“They will always claim ignorance. But we have been educating them that
what they sell is against the law. They know the originals, yet they
insist that man must survive.
“These
seized materials will serve as exhibits. They destroy the economy and
deny the rightful owners of the benefits of their works.
“The
public should be warned that piracy is a crime and the commission has
zero tolerance for piracy. We will continue this fight until we win.”
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